Warner Bros. officially releases a new The Flash trailer at CinemaCon 2023. Plans for a Flash solo film starring Ezra Miller's Barry Allen have been in the works since 2014, and the nearly decade-long wait for the movie could be worth the wait. The Flash is reportedly one of the best DC movies ever made and will play a prominent role in resetting the DC Universe for James Gunn and Peter Safran's new plans. This is due to the movie's multiverse plot that involves Flash traveling to another universe featuring Michael Keaton's Batman, Michael Shannon's Zod, and Sasha Calle's Supergirl, as well as another Barry Allen.
As part of Warner Bros.' presentation at CinemaCon 2023, a new The Flash movie trailer was officially released ahead of the movie screening in its entirety for those in attendance.
The new The Flash trailer is filled with new footage from the upcoming DC Universe movie. It heavily teases the film's multiverse story, the close relationship between Barry Allen and Batman, and the changes that have been made to the DC timeline as a result of Flash's time travel. As far as everything that is teased in the footage, here is our The Flash trailer breakdown.
Michael Keaton's Batman's Parents Appear In The Flash Trailer
A glimpse into Michael Keaton's Batman's past is included in The Flash trailer as a photo of Bruce Wayne and his parents is included. Keaton's version of the character is shown touching the picture as the voiceover talks about how he lost both of his parents. Based on other shots in the trailer, it appears that the photo of Batman's parents is connected to the Wayne Mansion's secret locations that hide Bruce's various Batman suits. Considering The Flash is all about kids who lost their parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne's appearance in this fashion makes sense.
Bruce Wayne's Long Hair Teases His Life After Batman Returns
Michael Keaton's Batman being in The Flash will include direct connections to his previous films, but his physical appearance in The Flash trailer is a sign of what happened to him. A character who appears to be Bruce Wayne is shown from behind with long, wavy blonde/white hair looking at Batman's seven suits. Bruce Wayne's long hair would seemingly be a sign of how he has been out of the public eye for much of his life after Batman Returns, becoming a recluse and avoiding his superhero duties until Barry Allen comes into his life.
Iris West Speaks But Is Not Seen In The Flash Trailer
It also sounds like Kiersey Clemons' Iris West speaks in The Flash trailer, even though she is not shown in the footage. A female voice says, "I can't imagine what you've been through. You lost both parents in one day." This person could be talking to Batman or Flash based on their pasts, but it sounds like Kiersey Clemons speaking here. She was originally meant to appear in Justice League before the reshoots and ultimately played a small role in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Her line references how Barry Allen's mom died and his dad was wrongfully arrested for her murder.
The Flash Movie Trailer Teases Barry Allen's Mother's Death
Speaking of Barry's parents, The Flash trailer also provides more context around the death of his mother, Nora Allen. The footage includes Henry Allen telling Barry to call 9-1-1 after something happened to her. In the comics, Barry's mom dies at the hands of Reverse-Flash. It is not confirmed what story The Flash will reveal for how Nora Allen dies, but it is a moment that directly sets up the main events of the solo film and Barry's motivations.
The Martha Wayne Institute Teases Batman's Mother's Legacy
The legacy of moms continues to be shown in The Flash trailer with a tease of Martha Wayne. As part of the destruction that comes from Zod's attack on Earth, the footage includes an Easter egg for a Martha Wayne Institute. It is unclear what exactly the purpose of this institute is, but it does indicate that Martha's legacy includes helping other people long after she died.
Multiverse Barry Allen Wears Prototype Flash Suit
A quick Easter egg in The Flash trailer shows what looks to be the multiverse Barry Allen wearing a prototype Flash suit. He is shown in the back of a shot that takes place during Zod's attack. The full design of the prototype Flash costume is difficult to make out, but it seemingly involves a black protective vest, yellow and red accents, and a main white base.
Supergirl's Symbol Still Means Hope (Just Like Superman)
Another key confirmation that comes in The Flash trailer is the meaning of Supergirl's symbol. The "S" looking symbol from Krypton is a direct visual match for Henry Cavill's Superman's logo. While Sasha Calle's Supergirl is now the one wearing the symbol, the footage indicates that it still stands for hope. Judging by how powerful Supergirl looks to be in the trailer, she could help provide a lot of hope for the world.
Michael Keaton Repeats Batman's Iconic "Let's Get Nuts" Line
The Flash trailer includes confirmation that Michael Keaton's Batman will repeat one of his most iconic lines. He is heard saying "You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts" just as he did in the original Tim Burton Batman movie released in 1989. Keaton originally said the line in a much more animated sense as Bruce Wayne when he attempts to challenge the Joker. The redo of the iconic phrase is much more subdued. It marks the second known repeat phrase that Keaton will say in The Flash, which also includes him saying, "I'm Batman" again.
Multiverse Barry Allen's Flash Costume Fully Revealed
The multiverse version of Barry Allen gets a unique Flash costume in the movie, and The Flash trailer fully reveals its design. After only glimpsing different pieces of the suit in previous trailers, the homemade suit that uses a Batman costume as the basis is completely unveiled here. It appears that the multiverse Barry Allen paints one of Batman's older suits red, tags a yellow lightning bolt on the center logo, and shaves off the Batman ears from the cowl - among other design changes. This and the blue lightning should help audiences tell the two versions of Flash apart.
Supergirl Comes To The Flash's Rescue - Is Barry Allen Dead?!
An intriguing moment in The Flash movie trailer comes with Supergirl flying Barry Allen into the sky. His body looks rather lifeless, which makes it look as though the character has died. Even though Ezra Miller has been mired in controversy throughout the development of The Flash, it is unlikely that the movie kills Barry Allen much less tease it in the trailer. Judging by the burn marks that appear to be on Barry's body, it appears that he has been severely hurt at this point in the film.
The Flash Is Tortured By An Unknown Enemy
The Flash trailer also teases the film's mysterious main villain by showing Barry Allen being tortured as he is restrained by lightning. He is screaming in pain as a result of the unknown enemy that is seemingly responsible for his current situation. This does not appear to be the work of General Zod but rather a potential villain tied to the Speed Force. There have been teases that Dark Flash is The Flash's real villain, which could mean the evil speedster is responsible for what is happening to Barry here.
Supergirl Overpowers General Zod But Doesn't Kill Him
An impressive moment in The Flash trailer comes when Supergirl seemingly overpowers and defeats Zod. She appears to land the final blow by hitting him with a metal pipe of some kind, leaving Zod indented into a Kryptonian ship. This is not only a great example of how powerful Supergirl is in The Flash, but it teases how she could do something Superman could not. Henry Cavill's Man of Steel only defeated Zod by killing him. The Flash looks poised to avoid repeating the controversial move, even if it means suggesting Supergirl is a better hero than Superman.
Michael Keaton's Batman Is Bulletproof
Another moment in The Flash movie trailer confirms that Michael Keaton's Batman is bulletproof. This comes through moments where multiple enemies are shooting at him, but Batman's cape and armor stop them from doing any fatal damage to him. The bullets that are hitting Batman's suit might not go through the cape or armor, but they still might be hurting him. He jolts upon each hit from a bullet, which could mean that they still inflict some pain upon him.
Barry Allen Is Electrocuted In The Batcave (By His Multiverse Variant?)
One other curious scene in The Flash movie trailer shows Barry Allen with lightning all around him, and he appears to be in the Batcave. Additional shots show that Barry is screaming in pain and being burned by the lightning. Based on what else is shown in The Flash trailer, the blue lightning could be a telling sign of what is happening here. The movie's multiverse Flash is shown to have blue lightning associated with his powers. That might mean that the second Barry Allen is purposefully electrocuting the film's main Flash in this sequence.
"We're Not Gonna Be Able To Fix This" Teases New DC Universe Timeline
It also appears that The Flash resetting the DC Universe is teased through the trailer. The main Barry Allen is heard saying "We're not gonna be able to fix this" to his other self. This teases the massive ramifications of the decisions they have made and how challenging it will be to completely correct the timeline. Since it is already confirmed that The Flash resets the timeline, this line can be seen as a tease of how this will happen.
The Batwing Makes Michael Keaton's Batman Symbol (Again)
The Flash movie trailer includes another nod to Michael Keaton's Batman movies with his Batwing. The ship is shown flying and is positioned right in front of the moon, creating a version of Keaton's Batman symbol. It is a similar move to imagery from 1989's Batman, which also had the Batwing stop in front of the moon for a split second. The Flash movie is understandably recreating some iconic moments from Keaton's past, and this is the latest example of how the film is doing it.
Source: Warner Bros.
